Etsy artist of the week: Beaded Bombshell

You can wear this beautiful art necklace if you want to. Just go to the Etsy shop of Dianna, aka Beaded Bombshell, and grab it before somebody else does.

If you’re an Etsy fan, you know that the site is stuffed full of handmade jewelry, and most of it looks pretty much the same. So when I spot a jewelry artist whose work is unusual—even quirky—and beautiful, it makes me happy to point it out. Beaded Bombshell’s work definitely fits this category.

“I started making jewelry when I was probably five years old,” she says. “My grandfather used to make turquoise jewelry and solder various pieces to create rings, necklaces, or earrings. I can remember making my first ring with him at a very young age and learning how to hold a blow torch to melt the silver. I still have the ring. My dad would set various stones in settings for bracelets, rings, earrings, or necklaces. I have received a new piece of jewelry from him for each birthday or Christmas. So, naturally, it was only a matter of time before I felt the call to make jewelry of my own.”

Dianna is a native Arkansan. She lives in Fayetteville, the home of the University of Arkansas, where she received a degree in Theater and Dance. And she works at the Walton Arts Center. “After a plethora of uninspiring jobs,” she says, “I finally found a job working in the performing arts that I love.”

Dianna is an active member of AREtsy, the Arkansas Etsy street team, and her connections with other northwest Arkansas team members predate her joining Etsy.

“I am fortunate that IdyllHands, my coworker at Walton Arts Center, introduced me to the wonderful world of Etsy,” she says. “And I have appeared in numerous productions in the area—with punkinhead and with JulieRose's brother, Kris.”

Dianna’s haiku about her approach to art:

Beads are tiny and round.
Put them on and you're a Bomb.
Shell out some dough to own.

You can see more of Dianna’s wearable creations on her Etsy site. And you can catch up on her news and satisfy your video cravings on her blog.